Members of Congress Speak Out Against Trump’s Military Parade

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA):“There was already a #TrumpParade in DC. Not very well attended the first time, would be a waste of Pentagon time and resources the second time.” [link]

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA):“First@realDonaldTrump says anyone who doesn’t clap at his speech is treasonous & now demands our men and women in uniform give him a military parade. What an absurd waste of money! Trump acts more like dictator than president. Americans deserve better.” [link]

Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D-MD): “American taxpayers should not pay millions of dollars to throw Trump a parade. Our men and women in uniform work tirelessly to accomplish the mission every day. They don’t have any time to feed Trump’s ego” [link]

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA):

(1) Dear @realDonaldTrump: You know what would be more useful than asking the Pentagon to waste money on a big military parade? Basically anything. [link]

(2) Dear @POTUS: If you want to honor our troops, here are things more useful than an expensive #militaryparade:-Have a coherent N Korea strategy-Nominate US Amb to S Korea-Have a coherent Afghanistan strategy (we’ve been in 16 years)-Have a coherent Syria strategy-Deter Russia [link]

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA):“Rep. Jackie Speier on President Trump’s interest in a military parade: “I was stunned by it, to be quite honest. … We have a Napoleon in the making here.” [link]

Rep Ro. Khanna (D-CA): “Reading this made me remember Mario Cuomo’s famous line in 1992, ‘So step aside Mr. Bush, you have had your parade!’ I look forward to seeing who will deliver that coup de grace at the DNC in 2020.” [link]

Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN):@RepTimWalz says there’s “absolutely no justification” for the Pentagon spending dollars on a military parade at Trump’s request — instead, save the money and give the people of the armed forces a raise. #LastWord [link]

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO): “Weak countries have massive military parades to show off. USA has strongest/best military in the world, but if we do third-world-style military parade, it makes us seem weak- so little confidence that we need to prove ourselves by putting on costly show.” [link]

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA): “I am greatly concerned by the reports that President Trump is requesting the Defense Department put together a self-aggrandizing military parade. That would be a grave misuse of military time and energy, and it is a disturbing indicator that President Trump apparently does not understand or care about the military’s actual readiness needs, even as our men and women in uniform are struggling to find time to train and do their real jobs at a time of serious international tension. The military is not President Trump’s personal toy set. He cannot be allowed to continue focusing on parades and ego-inflating toys instead of real, basic military needs that can jeopardize lives if they are not met. This misdirected focus could have real repercussions for human beings in the field and for U.S. national security, and it is not becoming of a Commander-in-Chief. A military parade of this kind would also be a departure from the values of our constitutional democracy. We are a nation of laws, not of one person. In the past, we have held military parades to celebrate major national events such as the Gulf War or the end of World War II, as achievements by the American people who fought in and supported those efforts. A military parade like this—one that is unduly focused on a single person—is what authoritarian regimes do, not democracies.” [link]

Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN): “Instead of a #militaryparade, we should be using that money to raise military servicemembers’ pay, create jobs for Veterans, and end Veteran homelessness.” [link]

SENATE

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI):

(1) “We have the mightiest military on the planet and we don’t need a parade to prove that.” [link]

(2) “A military parade costs millions. Let’s fix military housing, hire more VA doctors, fund telehealth, DOD schools, support the commissaries, daycare for families, or give more flight training time. Our highest defense priority must be the service members, not the politicians.” [link]

Sen. Chris Murphy(D-CT):“Best way to telegraph U.S. has no plan to confront the mounting asymmetric threats to our natl security, like cyber, propaganda, corruption, pandemics, climate change, etc? Throw a military hardware parade.” [link]

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA):“If@realDonaldTrump cared about our military he’d take the advice of its leaders and help negotiate a long term budget for DoD instead of using that funding to hold hostage protections for#Dreamers.” [link]

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ): “Over the past week, @realDonaldTrump said it was treasonous to not clap for him, urged a government shutdown and reportedly wants a #militaryparade to march soldiers & tanks in the streets of Washington. There’s a word for that behavior: Authoritarian.” [link]